Jornling Dayes

So I have to give a lesson on journal writing in a couple weeks at an Enrichment activity. I'm nervous of course. My mom, however, has given many lessons on this in her years in Young Womens and suggested I read a few sections from my own journals. So the last time my brother was home in Idaho, I had him bring back my really old journals, like from when I was 6 yrs old through 12 years old. I was reading through them yesterday and laughing so hard I was crying. Some excerpts (I'll translate if I think its necessary!):

May 4, 19903 [My first entry--I was 6--its really 1993]

I bot a diary. A Aladdin diar. I hav bin woten a diary. I strdid to rit in it. I like my diary-it is fun. I wot los. I hav mad a diary plas. I.M. fin. My frens brtha is cumen. I hav a nis room. Good by for naw.

{Tranlation: I bought a diary. An Aladdin diary. I have been wanting a diary. I started to writed in it. I like my diary-it is fun. I won't lose [it]. I have made a diary place. I'm fine. My friend's brother is coming. I have a nice room. Good by for now. (that is my sign off for a while)}

May 11, 9193

I had a basball gaem. I slid and fel. I wuss bleten [it said "bleden" but I decided to cross the 'd' out and go with a 't'] verea baad. I love the Suns. Good by for naw.

May 14, 9193

My mom and my bruthrs is sick. I did laf. It was fune. My famule is gros vere much. Good by for naw.

May 20, 9193

I had a fite with Danielle bekus she is haven a frend cum ovr that ime not ulawd to plae with. Good by for naw.

May 21, 9193

It wus time for mis yoonuvrs. i cried becus i kood not git in. i and my frens teld stres. it wus fun. Good by for naw.

{Translation: I was time for Miss Universe. I cried because I could not get in. My friends and I told stories. It was fun.} I have no idea what I'm talking about here. Miss Universe?

May 23, 9193

I wit too chreach. Befor chreach I wit too the tepr wiht my dad. My frens gave me a tede bera. Good by for naw.

{Translation: I went to church. Before churh I went to the temple with my dad. My friends gave me a Teddy Bear. Good bye for now.}

June 3, 93

My frens wru goen to slepa ovr but ther wus a growsa bug so thaye wit homae. Good by for naw.

{Translation: My friends were going to sleep over, but there was a gross bug so they went home.}

June 14, 93

I got a noow Suns t-shrt. i was wred that i wus not gunu git wun bcus evreabudea in my famule had wun.

{Translation: I got a new Suns t-shirt. I was worried that I was not going to get one because everybody in my family had one.}

June 16, 93

My ira strdid to hrt a lot. it mit be a ira cufeshin. I hoep it is not a ira cfeshin. Good by for naw.

{My ear started to hurt a lot. It might be an ear infection. I hope it is not an ear infection.}

July 3, 1993 (I finally figured out how to write the year!)

Pridy soon I'm goena on a trip. I forgot werr I'm goena.

May 17, 94 (a year later--My writing got substantially better).

I have bin reading the Book of Mormon. I can not waet en tell I'm 8 then I get a own Holy Bibele and Book or Mormon. Good bye for now.

A couple cool things I realized: First, I mention a couple times that I was not allowed to play with certain kids, and many times that I was not allowed to go to a sleep over (all of which were held on Saturday night). Also, I love the last entry about reading the Book of Mormon and being excited to turn 8 (in my family, we got our first 'real' set up scriptures when we where baptized). I'm grateful I was raised in a home based on gospel values. Its very apparent through all my journals.

Well, I thought this was hilarious--sorry if it's not quite as entertaining to you!

I Love to See the Temple

Yesterday we had the opportunity to do a session at the Salt Lake Temple.

It was a really wonderful experience.

It was the first time I did a live session, and it was really special.

The temple is such a blessing in my life.

We went with a bunch of our closest friends. It was so great to go with them.

Last night I was thinking about it, and talking to our friend Matt (Chris had fallen asleep with his head on my lap shortly before;-). I've never gone to the temple with friends before, and have only gone with family once. I was trying to explain how it felt to be in the temple with people you love, but at that hour I could only describe it as "weird". This morning, however, I realized what I was trying to explain. Going to the temple with our friends yesterday, and with family at other times, is such a wonderful experience, and this morning I realized it was because that is how I believe heaven will be: your friends and family you love all around you, peace, purity, cleanliness, being taught the truth. That's why going to the temple is such a unique experience to me; its like a glimpse of heaven.

After the temple, we went to Pier 49 and got some pizza. The Pier 49 in Salt Lake makes gluten-free pizza that is so amazing. A slice of heaven!

Caroline, Brad, and Matt

Brad, Matt, and Chris

The Newlyweds: Andy and Stephanie

Me and Chris! He looks so happy!

My amazing GF pizza: I got half veggie, half BBQ chicken. Mmmmm. . . .

ON A LIGHTER note. If you are going to spend $8.50 on a movie this summer, see Ironman, not Indiana Jones. The original Indy movies are so amazing, this one isn't even close to measuring up. Oh, how I miss young Indiana. Whoever decided mixing aliens and Indiana Jones was a good idea is a crazy person. And I never wanted to see Indy so old.

50 Fun Facts

I saw this on a friend's blog and thought it was cute. Hers was "100 fun facts", but there is no way I could ever come up with that many! This took me long enough:

1. When I was little I used to cry during the Barney song "I love my sister" because I didn't have a sister.
2. The first time I met Chris I thought he was a little on the dumb side.
3. I've realized in the last year while working with professors that I could never get an advanced degree in Sociology--something else, yeah, but not sociology.
4. Before I got married my initials were ET and people would always say "hey, did you realize your initials are ET, like the alien?"
5. I love tennis and played in high school, but I always wish that I could have been better at it then I was.
6. The first thing that attracted me to Chris was how tan he was (he worked at a water park that summer).
7. The second thing that attracted me to Chris was the amazing nachos he made me.
8. The third thing that attracted me to Chris was how good he was.
9. When I was little, I was a huge fan of the British royal family. I read books and magazines about them and everything. I think it was because I had a crush on Prince William. I had a poster of him on my wall.
10. I still Google them once in a while to see 'what they're up to'. That's humiliating.
11. I also had a crush on Elvis when I was little. I had strange taste.
12. I got married when I was 19.
13. I have Celiac Disease. I really miss brownies, cookies, and the Olive Garden.
14. I am terrified of moving to Tennessee.
15. I can't wait to move to Tennessee.
16. When I am stressed or mad or sad or tired, I get really quiet. It makes it hard for Chris to guess which one I'm feeling.
17. In high school I had two serious boyfriends: one for over a year, the other for over a year and a half. I never want my kids to steady date.
18. The last few weeks I have had incredibly real dreams: one was that Chris and I had a baby boy and he had brownish red hair and we named him one of our favorite names. It was so real, I woke up wondering where the baby sleeps since we don't have a crib!
19. When I was in grade school I refused to where girl clothes. There are many first day of school pictures where I'm dressed exactly like my brothers.
20. I rolled my car off the freeway going 86 miles per hour on my way to college in Provo. I fell asleep.
21. My brother was in the car with me. He'd never really worn his seat belt before, but that day he said he just "felt like I should."
22. My parents were in a car a ways behind us and saw the dust fly up. My dad joked "I sure hope that's not our kids."
23. This summer, 3 years later, I'm just learning how to drive on the freeway again.
24. I've never left the United States. More than anything I want to go to Europe.
25. I want to settle in Canada. Its a long story.
26. When I was little, by dad would take me on 'daddy-daughter dates' on Sundays and we would walk around the Mesa, AZ Temple and play with the Snap-dragon flowers. Those are some of my favorite memories.
27. My grandparents' house in Richland, WA is one of my favorite places in the world. I don't get to go up there enough.
28. I never put the toilet paper roll on the holder. I just set it on the back of the toilet. It drives Chris crazy.
29. I love the Olympics. But I'm opposed to them being held in China. No better way to applaud a polluting, human rights oppressing government than to give them the Summer Olympics.
30. One of my best friends growing up was my cousin, Brit. He gets home from his mission in less than a month!
31. I fall asleep at incredible speeds. And I could sleep in until noon everyday if I was allowed to.
32. I love international soccer (or should I say football?). Chris and I watched tons of the World Cup on our honeymoon--and we were at the beach!
33. I was over 5 feet tall by 5th grade and full grown (5' 6") by 7th grade. The boys didn't catch up until my Sophomore year in high school.
34. Now I hate feeling tall. I wore flats to my wedding to make me feel shorter, and luckily 3 of my bridesmaids, Chris's sisters, are all in the 5'9" range.
35. I'm shy around people I don't know well, but pretty outgoing around people I'm comfortable with.
36. Maybe I'm vain, but I love when people complement me on my hair color. Its all natural, baby!
37. I have to pee twice as frequently as the average person. I'm nervous about what will happen to me when I'm pregnant!
38. I can't wait to be a mom.
39. I love bunnies. I want a bunny farm when I grow up. I'm going to interview families to make sure they are good people and won't turn their bunny into stew.
40. I didn't like dogs my whole life until I met Chris; his dog, Sammie, is awesome.
41. I've never liked a boy who didn't then like me back.
42. The first time I said "I love you" to Chris, I said it in German. Not sure why. I think I was too afraid to say it in English.
43. The one time I got stitches was when my brother chased me around the house and my head slammed into the corner of the wall.
44. I have always trusted my big brothers. One time I asked how many cans of water you need to make juice. My brother told me 12. I got to 6 and the jug started overflowing.
45. One time that same brother told me the button on the stoplight that you push to cross the street worked by "sending out signals that only cars can hear". I believed that until I was 17.
46. One thing I'm proud of myself for is my grades. In 3 1/2 years at BYU, I've gotten 5 B's. The rest have been A's or A-.
47. I love history. I was a history major for a while, but decided I like it more as a hobby!
48. I love "stylish" things. I wish I had more money so I could be more "stylish".
49. I'm secretly competitive. I'm not very outwardly competitive, because I don't want to be mean, but when I'm loosing I get very upset inside and think mean things about people (unless its Chris, friends, or family). This is especially true in intramural soccer.
50. I can't live without Chris. I can't even sleep when he's not next to me. He's my whole life, and I love him more and more every day. I'm glad he sticks around.

Plethora

For some reason, I have a very distinct memory of learning what the word 'plethora' means. And for some reason, I've always enjoyed using the word; its just a fun ward. Anyway, here is a plethora of stories, happenings, and thoughts from the last few days.

So, I don't know if my hick side is emerging in preparation for living in Tennessee or something, but recently my favorite place to eat has been Chuck-a-rama. Weird, I know. It used to be Costa Vida, but last time I went I ended up throwing up all night, so it doesn't sound tempting at all anymore! So on Wednesday after class, Chris and I were hungry and lazy. We decided to go there, and invited our friend Matt to go with us. The only problem was, it was three hours before our intramural soccer game! We went anyway, assuming that was plenty of time to digest. Turns out is wasn't. We were so sick. I could barely run. My food just turned into a rock and made me miserable. I'll have to remember no buffets before soccer games!

Last night Chris and I had date night. I was hesitant, but we went to see Ironman. We never spend full price on movies in the theater, so this was a big commitment. Well, it was amazing! I really thought it would be a lame comic book movie (I really didn't like the Spiderman movies), but this was really really good. The story line was great, it was really funny, and there was really good character development. And even I, who could honestly care less about gizmos and gadgets, thought the technological aspect behind it was really cool. I definately recommend it!! There is a 5 second scene thats a little risque, but its literally only like 5 seconds long (I'll never understand the point of wasting the time to put it in there in the first place). But its really worth seeing even for $8.50. We're hoping to make a matinee again soon.

Also, I joined the dark side of the fashion world. I got some 'skinny' jeans. Not the super crazy skin tight skinny jeans, but skinnier than anything I've ever worn. When they first came out, I didn't like them at all and figured they could only be worn by stick figures. But the skinny jeans with flats look has really grown on me, so I decided to try some on. I tried on the really dark ones (dark is 'slimming', ha ha) and actually liked them! Now lets see if I ever have the guts to wear them in public. ha ha. (No, Chris, of course I'll wear them!). We have great friends. The last few weeks have been a lot of fun seeing our friends more often. Its been nice for me. For the longest time I always felt like it was "Chris's friends". My friends from high school for the most part are not married or live in Pocatello. But Chris had a really great group of roommates when we were dating and engaged who all got married at the same time we did. We've hung out off and on since then, but the last couple weeks have been fun spending time with them more frequently. This week we had a movie night, game night, went to Dennys at 1 am (big mistake), and played soccer. They are great friends and we have so much fun with them--its going to be so sad when we go to Tennessee!

Well, none of this is especially significant, just random stuff. Hope all is well!

Rising Gas Prices

I was doing some research at my job and came across a newspaper story about rising gas prices:

"On Oct. 22 the price was $ 1.10, up from $ 1.05 on Sept. 24."

Washington Post, 1993

This Week in Pictures

The past week we have had a lot of fun!

Last Friday we had a campfire with a bunch of friends

Chris and I by the inferno

Allie and Caroline

Allie & Matt~~Caroline and B-rad

(We miss you Matt and Allie!)

So rugged!

The next day, Saturday, we played soccer in the morning, had lunch,

and played a rousing game of kube~~all of which I failed to get pictures of.

But it was a great send-off for our friends, Matt and Allie,

before they moved to California!

Then, on Sunday we celebrated Chris's birthday!

He opened his gifts

I made the pistachio cake. Sadly, I only had one round pan

and one square pan, so the cake was a little "contemporary".

But Chris said it was delicious!

Oh, the cake was also ugly.

But its not my fault! The frosting was a mixture of pudding

and whip cream~it would not stay put!
Here is Chris blowing out his candles.

On Monday night, Chris went camping with my brother

and some buddies. (Oh, the life of a college graduate.)

So, I had Cinco de Mayo enchiladas for one:

And watched a chick-flick (and wrote a paper).

The remainder of the week was filled with work, school (two papers and a test),

and a co-ed intramural soccer game (which we won!).

Then, this past Friday, we headed to Idaho for Mothers' Day.

Waiting to get into Texas Roadhouse for Lunch.

Unfortunately, it was the same weekend as Idaho State's

graduation, so it was an hour + wait.

My mom got sunburned just waiting to get in!

Enjoying the sunshine on my parents' porch.

Love that house.

I forgot to take a picture, but my parents recently got a

huge flatscreen and huge amazing couch in our basement.

Chris and I are currently considering moving in with them.

Finally, a tribute to my beautiful mother on Mother's Day.

I was lucky enough to be born to the greatest mother on earth.

She's managed to teach me everything I need to know,

guide me, protect me, save me, show me love,

be everything I hope to be;

all while also being my best friend.

If my kids love me a fraction of how much I love my mom,

I'll be a happy woman.

Happy Mothers' Day, mom.

Sorry I didn't get you a CARD!

Good News in a Minute

The Relief Society in our ward (and hundreds of other wards, I'm sure) does what we call "Good News in Minute". Its exactly what it sounds like: an opportunity to share anything good that happened over the week. I really like good news in a minute; its fun the hear what exciting things are going on in others' lives. But for some reason, I've never felt comfortable sharing my own good news. I don't know if I'm self-conscious or what, I just can't bring myself to do it. But the last week (and just today!) has brought so much good news, I am now going to have my personal Good News in a Minute.

First and most importantly, CHRIS GOT AN ASSISTANTSHIP AT TENNESSEE!! This is such an amazing blessing. We've been praying for one, and has time has passed, the number available kept shrinking. We found out he was on the alternate list, that someone had turned theirs down, and that assistantship had been given to another alternate. I've been so worried about it for 3 months, but its gotten worse in just the last few weeks. Then this morning he got an email asking if he was still interested in an assistantship. Are we still interested?? Of course!! This means his tuition is completely paid for (I won't say how much out-of-state tuition is, but lets just say its A LOT!) and he gets a stipend that is about how much he would get working a part-time job. And he gets to be involved in his department, which will be good for his education, rather than having to work at Office Depot part time or something. This is the biggest blessing we could ask for right now! My prayers recently shifted from asking politely to begging respectfully, so I'm grateful for a Heavenly Father who watches over His children.

Good news part two: Chris and I have both had minor health problems that we've been worrying about. Last week I found out I'm all good, and this morning Chris's doctor's appointment was clean as a whistle; it only took like 10 minutes, too! So that's another happy answer to our never-ending prayers.

So, basically, I'm having a really good day. I'm now allowing myself to be excited to go to Tennessee. I'm surprisingly very excited about it. If feels right, and I know there are many reasons why we belong there at this stage in our lives.

Anyone else have anything to share for today's "Good News in a Minute"?

~PS. Tales of a very fun weekend are to come~

Happy Birthday to You!

Today is Chris's 25th birthday! He's really getting up there! I'm so grateful for Chris and the wonderful, loving husband he is to me. I'm so lucky to have him.

Little Chris in the early years. He is so cute!

Baseball fanatic from an early age!
Cubs fanatic from an early age!
"Studious" college studentFinally, he found me! Took him long enough~I had been at BYU a total of 4 weeks!
We soon realized we were meant to be~

Then I proceeded to convert him to country music, a necessary step toward being prepared for marriage. Here we are at a Rascal Flatts concert.

I got to know his family. He is a wonderful big brother to his three beautiful sisters!
Then I saw him in a tux~I knew I had made the right decision.

Sealed for all eternity~Just the beginning of our happily ever after.

I love you, babe. Thanks for being the awesomest husband a girl could have.

Happy birthday!!!

Update

Well, I feel like I should blog, but sadly there is nothing too exciting these days to write about. I started Spring term on Tuesday. I forgot how classes are SO LONG and you have to do so much in such a short amount of time. I'm taking 9 credits (which is the max for a term) and still working at my two jobs. Its a pretty packed schedule. I'm taking some good classes though: Crime and Justice, Sociology of the Family, and State and Local Politics (everyone thinks that one sounds boring, but I think its interesting!). Tuesdays and Thursdays I'm on campus for almost 12 hours. I miss my man on these days. Speaking of my man, he is currently looking for a job. Its hard to find a decent job when you are leaving in a couple months. But hopefully some options will open up soon. He has been calling and applying to so many places and working really hard to find one (or 2 or 3). He's also still trying to find an assistantship in Tennessee. So he is busy, even if he hates being at home all day. Tonight I came home to a clean kitchen and a warm dinner--he is so good to me. This weekend we are having a campfire in the canyon with a group of friends as we prepare to go our separate ways in the coming months, and then camping out in a backyard (maybe, its FREEZING outside, and its MAY!). We were going to go camping, but couldn't find any campgrounds nearby that were in season yet. Weird. Then Sunday is Chris's birthday! I'll do a special birthday post later. But I'm planning on making a Pistachio cake for him because he loves Pistachio desserts. However, I'm the worst cook in the world, so wish me luck!
Well, this isn't too exciting, but this is our life right now! Just keep on keepin' on, I suppose. Hope everyone is doing well.